Message from Commissioner: Recovery and community safety stronger together

Commissioner Alison Hernandez (back, middle) with police, staff and service users at the Penzance Safe and Well Hub

One of the overarching principles of my Police and Crime Plan is everyone playing their part to reduce crime, and I strongly believe that by working in partnership organisations can deliver powerful and lasting change. 

Last week I had the pleasure of visiting two locations in Cornwall which are demonstrating how a joined-up approach by multiple agencies is much more powerful than the sum of its parts. 

I was honoured to be invited to the Safe and Well Hub in Penzance, a facility which offers significant wraparound support for people with complex needs, including street-attached individuals and those in recovery from addiction. 

I first visited Penzance to discuss their antisocial behaviour challenges in 2024 where they shared their ambition for opening a multi-agency service at the John Daniels Centre – a former adult care facility – in Roscadghill Road. 

A year on, and I have been blown away by the incredible transformation in such a short time. With almost 20 different services under one roof, it offers a wide range of support including mental health, drug and alcohol, and domestic abuse services, a vet clinic, housing support and debt advice. 

The hub, which is run by the complex needs team at Cornwall Council, opened in November last year and offers drop-in sessions not just for vital support services but also for creative skills such as music and pottery, cooking and gardening. 

I was also invited to chat with people who are receiving help over lunch which included vegetables grown at the community garden, prepared and served by service users at the Street Food Project Kitchen run by Growing Links, which provides a lunch and dinner service for people experiencing homelessness and food poverty. 

I was inspired to hear how the facility is improving lives and providing a safe space for people to recover, make friends, and access multiple vital services under one roof. 

I met one individual who, just a year ago, was deep in the grip of addiction, sleeping rough and begging, barely able to stand. And now, upright and eloquent, he was quick to praise the team who helped him get back on his feet and turn his life around. 

What was most clear from my visit is the importance of connection not only in recovery but at an organisational level as well, and the Safe and Well Hub is a shining example of just that. My second visit was to Camborne, which is the next area of focus for my Street Focus project, to meet Mayor Councillor James Ball, Perran Moon the Member of Parliament for Camborne and Redruth, members of the Business Improvement District (BID) team and neighbourhood policing team to see and hear about some of the excellent work already underway to improve safety in the town centre, and identify areas where my office can lend a hand. 

What really stood out for me was the collective desire to work together, with the town council, the BID, police and community safety partnership all putting in significant effort to improve the town for its residents, traders and visitors. 

There’s a PubWatch scheme keeping the night-time economy safe, and traders are using the DISC business crime reporting tool to identify and share shoplifting and other criminal behaviour. 

Antisocial behaviour officer Kay Smith, who is part funded by my office and Camborne Town Council, has developed strong relationships with people in the town – both those causing issues and those being affected by them – and acts quickly to nip problematic behaviour in the bud. 

Kay is a member of the Community Safety Accreditation Scheme, which means she has powers devolved from Devon & Cornwall Police to act against antisocial behaviour including street drinking. 

Camborne is also one of the locations across Devon and Cornwall that is included in our hotspot policing initiative for a second year, which sees high-visibility police and partner patrols in areas of high antisocial behaviour. They are assisted by street marshals who, when they first arrived, were sensationalised by the media as being bodyguards hired to protect the public. Instead, they have proved to be a welcome presence on the high street who know everyone. 

What is really evident is the effect such a united approach is having on confidence in the town. While there are clearly issues still to address, it’s heartening to hear that members of the public can see and feel the difference and I look forward to my office helping Camborne to go from strength to strength.